Inertial guidance system with stellar correction

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PROVIDING CROSS-RANGE INERTIAL GUIDANCE FOR A MISSILE FROM A LAUNCH POINT TO A SELECTED TARGET WITH A PROBABLE ERROR LESS THAN A PREDETERMINED VALUE, SAID MISSILE INCLUDING AN INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT INCLUDING ACCELEROMETERS WHICH DEFINE A FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM AND INCLUDING A STAR SCANNER WITH AN OPTICAL AXIS WHICH MAY BE DISPLACED IN AZIMUTH WITH REFERENCE TO THE MEASUREMENT UNIT, SAID METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF ALIGNING THE MEASUREMENT UNIT WITH THE VERTICAL DIRECTION AT THE LAUNCH POINT, ALIGNING THE MEASUREMENT UNIT IN AZIMUTH WITH AN ACCURACY THAT MAY BE INSUFFICIENT TO PERMIT CROSS-RANGE GUIDANCE WITH A PROBABLE ERROR LESS THAN SAID PREDETERMINED VALUE, POSITIONING THE STAR SCANNER SO THAT ITS OPTICAL AXIS HAS AN AZIMUTH ANGLE, WITH REFERENCE TO SAID FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM, WHICH IS EQUAL TO THE AZIMUTH OF A SELECTED STAR, LAUNCHING THE MISSILE AND STEERING IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SIGNAL QUANTITIES DERIVED FROM THE ACCELEROMETERS WITH REFERENCE TO THE FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM IN A DESIRED TRAJECTORY UNTIL THE EARTH''S ATMOSPHERE HAS A NEGLIGIBLE EFFECT ON THE OPTICAL PATH BETWEEN THE SELECTED STAR AND THE STAR SCANNER, DISPLACING THE STAR SCANNER IN AZIMUTH THROUGH A SCANNING ANGLE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE ITS OPTICAL AXIS TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE SELECTED STAR, TRANSFORMING THE COORDINATES OF THE SIGNAL QUANTITIES DERIVED FROM THE ACCELEROMETERS TO A SECOND COORDINATE SYSTEM WHICH IS DISPLACED IN AZIMUTH FROM THE FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM BY THE DISPLACEMENT REQUIRED TO CAUSE THE OPTICAL AXIS OF THE STAR SCANNER TO BE ALIGNED IN AZIMUTH WITH THE SELECTED STAR, AND STEERING THE MISSILE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TRANSFORMED COORDINATES OF THE SIGNAL QUANTITIES WHEREBY THE AZIMUTH ALIGNMENT ERROR WILL BE CORRECTED TO PERMIT CROSS-RANGE GUIDANCE WITH A PROBABLE ERROR LESS THAN THE PREDETERMINED VALUE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PROVIDING CROSS-RANGE INERTIAL GUIDANCE FOR A MISSILE FROM A LAUNCH POINT TO A SELECTED TARGET WITH A PROBABLE ERROR LESS THAN A PREDETERMINED VALUE, SAID MISSILE INCLUDING AN INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT INCLUDING ACCELEROMETERS WHICH DEFINE A FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM AND INCLUDING A STAR SCANNER WITH AN OPTICAL AXIS WHICH MAY BE DISPLACED IN AZIMUTH WITH REFERENCE TO THE MEASUREMENT UNIT, SAID METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF ALIGNING THE MEASUREMENT UNIT WITH THE VERTICAL DIRECTION AT THE LAUNCH POINT, ALIGNING THE MEASUREMENT UNIT IN AZIMUTH WITH AN ACCURACY THAT MAY BE INSUFFICIENT TO PERMIT CROSS-RANGE GUIDANCE WITH A PROBABLE ERROR LESS THAN SAID PREDETERMINED VALUE, POSITIONING THE STAR SCANNER SO THAT ITS OPTICAL AXIS HAS AN AZIMUTH ANGLE, WITH REFERENCE TO SAID FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM, WHICH IS EQUAL TO THE AZIMUTH OF A SELECTED STAR, LAUNCHING THE MISSILE AND STEERING IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SIGNAL QUANTITIES DERIVED FROM THE ACCELEROMETERS WITH REFERENCE TO THE FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM IN A DESIRED TRAJECTORY UNTIL THE EARTH''S ATMOSPHERE HAS A NEGLIGIBLE EFFECT ON THE OPTICAL PATH BETWEEN THE SELECTED STAR AND THE STAR SCANNER, DISPLACING THE STAR SCANNER IN AZIMUTH THROUGH A SCANNING ANGLE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE ITS OPTICAL AXIS TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE SELECTED STAR, TRANSFORMING THE COORDINATES OF THE SIGNAL QUANTITIES DERIVED FROM THE ACCELEROMETERS TO A SECOND COORDINATE SYSTEM WHICH IS DISPLACED IN AZIMUTH FROM THE FIRST COORDINATE SYSTEM BY THE DISPLACEMENT REQUIRED TO CAUSE THE OPTICAL AXIS OF THE STAR SCANNER TO BE ALIGNED IN AZIMUTH WITH THE SELECTED STAR, AND STEERING THE MISSILE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TRANSFORMED COORDINATES OF THE SIGNAL QUANTITIES WHEREBY THE AZIMUTH ALIGNMENT ERROR WILL BE CORRECTED TO PERMIT CROSS-RANGE GUIDANCE WITH A PROBABLE ERROR LESS THAN THE PREDETERMINED VALUE.